In Depth interviews – September 12

This is the In Depth show blog. Here you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.

Today’s guests:

Chuck Riddle — Chief Information Officer, Government Printing Office

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The Government Printing Office is setting an example when it comes to using new technology to reduce its server footprint. Consolidation is key when it comes to scaling back your agency’s budget, and the GPO is using the cloud to do it.

event Wednesday, where he shared best practices and lessons learned for building a virtual desktop at GPO.

After five years of work the Coast Guard has a lot to brag about when it comes to acquisition. The agency streamlined its contracting structure, consolidating chief contracting officers to improve the flow of information. The Coast Guard’s contracting accounts now make up 50 percent of all procurement transactions tallied by the Homeland Security Department every year. It’s taken five years but the U.S. Coast Guard has made huge strides in overhauling its Acquisition Directorate.

At the forefront is Rear Adm. Jake Korn, the assistant commandant for acquisition for the U.S. Coast Guard. He joins In Depth to discuss the progress the agency has made.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily DoD Report. For more defense news, click here.

Reinvention is the word when it comes to the future of IT acquisition in the federal government. Agencies are moving away from capital expenses to buy products and instead are tracking the operational expenses created by the technology they use.

Steve Charles, the co-founder and executive vice president of immixGroup, joins In Depth to discuss how agencies can apply “Moneyball” lessons to their budgets.

John Limbert — Professor of International Affairs at the U.S. Naval Academy

U.S. Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, was killed yesterday after an attack on the U.S. consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith and two other Americans also died in the attack. It’s a grim reminder that civilian federal employees can find themselves in life-threatening situations just because they’re doing their job.

Amb. John Limbert, a professor of International Affairs at the U.S. Naval Academy, and the former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran. Limbert was one of the diplomats held hostage in Iran in 1979.